Dream outlasts Taurasi-less Mercury

By Pierce W. Huff

For the AJC

Continuing with their recent theme of playing close games against inferior opponents, the Dream let another struggling team give them fits Tuesday.

Defending WNBA champion Phoenix, playing without injured star guard Diana Taurasi (bruised lower back), led the Dream for three quarters.

But behind a strong fourth quarter, balanced scoring, and plenty of points from their substitutes, the Dream outlasted the Mercury for a 94-88 victory at Philips Arena.

“We’re playing out of holes, and we can’t continue to do that,” Dream general manager/coach Marynell Meadors said. “We’ve got to get off to a good start. We’ve got to get ahead and stay ahead.”

The Dream had eight players score more than five points, led by 18 from Angel McCoughtry. The Dream's bench scored 46 points, led by 13 each from Armintie Price and Yelena Leuchanka.

“It’s the balance and the depth,” Meadors said. “I keep saying that game after game after game.”

The Dream (12-4) outscored Phoenix 20-10 in the fourth quarter. Trailing 78-74 at the end of the third quarter, the Dream began the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run, which ended when Iziane Castro Marques made a 3-pointer for an 83-78 lead with 7:20 remaining in the game.

The Dream increased their lead to 92-88 when Leuchanka, who scored 13 points and had eight rebounds, made two free throws with 23.7 seconds left.

“We know how to fight back and close out games,” McCoughtry said.

Of course, it’s always easier to close out an opponent whose best player is sitting on the sidelines for the entire game.

Taurasi injured her lower back in the Mercury’s 95-85 loss at Washington on Sunday. She participated in a team shootaround before the game Tuesday, but not in the pregame warm-ups. She was replaced in the starting lineup by reserve guard/forward DeWanna Bonner, who scored 17 points and had nine rebounds.

Even though she didn’t play, Taurasi did impact the game’s scoring. She cost Phoenix (5-10) one point in the third quarter when she was hit with a technical foul for yelling at referees from the Phoenix bench.

“If Taurasi had been in the lineup, it probably would have been a different story,” Meadors said.

Instead, it was the same old story with the Dream, who again struggled early.

The Dream allowed their season-high points in a quarter when they trailed 30-20 at the end of the first quarter. Phoenix’s Penny Taylor, who scored a game-high 31 points, had 13 points in the quarter. Candice Dupree scored 10 of her 12 points in the quarter. The Mercury scored nine of its points on seven Dream turnovers and shot 66.7 (14-of-21) from the field.

“It was no defense,” Meadors said. “We have got to come out playing better defense.”